Controlling device for motors.



O. SAOERDOTI. GONTROLLING DEVICE FOR MOTORS.

APPLIGATION FILED JAN. 7, 1911. 1,01 9,091

I Patented Mar. 5, 1912.

3 SHBETSSHEET 1.

1 EF V.

W O V a F O w M 111 5.1

O l/ Y J j WITNESSES:

C. SAOBRDOTI.

CONTROLLING DEVICE FOR MOTORS. APPLICATION FILED JAN. 7, 1911.

WITNESSES:

Patented Mar. 5, 1912.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

INVENTOR flaw Yum G. SAGERDOTI. CONTROLLING DEVICE FOR MOTORS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 7, 1911. I 1,019,091, Patented Mar.5, 1912.

3 SHEETSSHEET 3.

w WITNESSES: M (y W 1' "Il /01716118,

UNITED STATES PATENT oFFIoE.

CESARE SACERDOTI, 0F PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO FIAT SANGEORGIO, OF SPEZIA, ITALY, A CORPORATION OF ITALY.

CONTROLLING DEVICE FOR MOTORS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 5, 1912.

Application filed January 7, 1911. Serial No. 601.254.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, CEsARE SAoERDo a, asubject of the King of Italy, residing 1n Philadelphia, in the county ofPhiladelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Controlling Devices for Motors, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to controlling devices for motors and aims toprovide certain improvements therein.

The invention is especially directed to what is known as a follow-upcontrol for electric motors, although it may be utilized in connectionwith motors of other descriptions. Such systems are largely utilized insteering gears for vessels, training gears for guns and other caseswhere it is desirable to actuate the motor in a given direction only solong as a hand operated part such as a handle or wheel is kept in motionin a corresponding direction. Usually in such systems when thehand-operated part is stopped at a given point the motor or itsequivalent is also stopped and the part operated by the motor is held inthe position to which it has been moved. By a reverse movement of thehand-operated part the m0- tor or its equivalent is caused to rotate ina reverse direction, thus producing a corresponding movement of theactuated part. In connection with such systems of follow-up controlthere is usually provided a handoperated member by means of which theactuated part can be moved by manual power. Such supplementalhand-operated means are necessary in order that if the motor fails forany reason it is necessary or desirable to at once take up the handcontrol without loss of time.

My invention ispart-icularly applicable to the control of rudders orplanes of submarine boats in which there is an urgent necessity foralways maintaining the boat under complete control. Should the motorfail at a critical moment, especially in emerging or submerging, a veryserious danger may be incurred in the time which necessarily elapsesduring the substitution of the hand-operated control for the motorcontrol. In submarine boat practice it is customary to provide formoving a lever or equivalent to throw in the hand-operated mechanism andcut out the motor. This causes a still further waste of time and has theadditional disadvantage that it calls upon the operator to do veryquickly an act which is necessarily dissimilar to the act of steering.As the failure of the motor is necessarily unexpected, and very oftenoccurs at a critical period, the time necessary for the operator tobecome conscious of the failure of the motor and perform the necessarymental and physical acts to change the manner of control is oftenrelatively great. Accordin to the present invention I provide a comblnedmotor and manual control which in its preferred form is so arranged thatthe change from motor control to manual control takes place in what maybe called an automatic manner. Preferably the manual control isperformed by a device which has the same or substantially the same fieldof movement as the motor control, and preferably also these fields ofmovement are coincident so that when the motor fails a continuedmovement of the motor handle will move the manual device. In the bestembodiment of my invention the motor control is by means of a handle orlever, and the manual control is by means of a spoked wheel. The handleis adapted to be turned in one direction or the other thereby causingthe motor to travel in the appropriate direction, and if the latterfails the continued movement of the handle or lever carries with it themanual steering wheel.

My invention also comprises certain other features of lmprovement whichwill behereinafter more particularly described.

In the drawings I have shown illustrations of my invention as applied toa steering device for submarine or submersible boats. Figure 1 is ageneral view of the invention, showing the device partly in elevationand partly in vertical section. Fig. 2 is a front view of the operatinghandle and wheel. Fig. 3 is a dlagrammatic view of. the electricalconnections. Fig. 4 is a section of the hub of the operating handleshowing its cam grooves. or less diagrammatic view 0 the drumof thecontroller. Fig. 6 is a sectional view of a simplified form. Fig. 7 is afront view of Fig. 6.

Referring to the drawings, let A indicate a rudder, for instance, whichit is desired to control by the present system. Ordinarily there will beapplied to the rudder Fi.51samoreshaft .a sector B which is engaged anddesigned to be turned by a worm C mounted on a shaft D. The shaft D isprovided at its inner end with a bevel gear E which 111 turn meshes witha similar gear F mounted at the end of a hollow shaft G. The shaft G isjournaled inany suitable bearing such as H and has loosely. mounted uponit a worm wheel I adapted to be turned by a tion the device as thus fardescribed constitutes manually operable means for controlling theposition of the rudder, and such means are capable of operation eltherwhen the motor-operated means, which will now be described, accidentallyfail or areintentionally'cut out of action by the operator.

In the construction illustrated the motor' control is operated bmeans'of a handle N fixed upon an arm the hub P of which encircles thehub Qof the wheel L. The hub Q is provided with two longitudinal slots Ron opposite sides thereof, while the hub P of the handle E is formed onits inner face with two opposite cam slots U. Ex-

tending through the slots R and U is a pin S which engages at its middlea shaft V which extends through the hollow shaft G I to a pointbeyondthe bevel pinion F and is there connected with an arm or lever Wof a controller X'by-a suitable yoke connection permitting the rotationof the shaft V.

The result of this construction is that when" the handle N'is rotatedrelatively to the wheel L, its cam slots U force the.

pines either forward or backward, thus causing a relative forward orbackward movement of the shaft V. On .the other hand, when the wheel andhandle are turned coincidentl there is no such relative movement and t eshaft V maintains its longitudinal position.

The controller, X ma be any device which is capable of controllmg theforward and backward movements of the motor employed. In. the case of anelectric motor, such as is illustrated, a movement of the controller armW from the central position indicated in Fig. 1 will so control thenecessary circuits that the motor will run forward when the arm" W ismoved in one directionand backward when it is moved in the reversedirection. In order that the shaft G may be entirely disconnected fromthe motor when the electric current fails, or for some other reason themotor refuses to actfiI provide a magnetic clutch Y on the provided witha sector to attract the member B to the member A and thus couple theshaft G with the motor. When the current fails, the clutch isautomatically disconnected, thus leaving the shaft free to rotatewithout reference to themotol This construction is especially desirablein cases wherein the. motor is geared to the shaft through a worm wheelconnection which does not permit the shaft to rotate the motor when theshaft is turned by hand.- In place of such connection a level wheel orother gearing connection could be substituted, wherein the parts do notlook as in the case of the worm wheel connection shown.

In the construction shown the arm W is D which meshes with a ,similarsector E mounted upon a rocking arm F which is adapted tocontrol theelectrical circuit. In Fig. 3 I have illustrated diagrammaticall oneform of electrical connection which'will accomplish the desired result.In this figure a a indicate one set of brushesor contacts and b banother set of brushes or contacts which are designed to be broughtalternately into engagement with fixed contacts 6 d, etc.

The contacts a a and b b are preferably mounted upon a drum which is inturn mounted on the shaft F ofthe controller as shown in ,Fig. 5.Assuming the drum is rotated. in

one direction by the shaft V acting through arm' W and sectors D and Eso that the contacts a a are brought into operative relation, then acurrent will flow through wire Z to contact e to brush a and thencethrough contact 1'' and wire 7' to the magnetic clutch V, therebyenergizing the latter, and thence through wire is to wire Z. A currentwill also flow through contact 9 to the armature of the motor, thence bywire m to contact d, thence through brush a to' contact a and thence bywire n to the field .of the motor. Under these circumstances the motorwill revolve ina given direction. To reverse the motor the ,shaft' Visshifted in an opposite direction by the handle N, thereby moving therock shaft F" through the intermediate connections in an oppositedirection to bring the brushes 6 b in engagement with the contacts c (2,etc. Under'these circumstances the current-will flow in an oppositedirection through the motor armature.

In the operation of my invention when the steering is to be done by themotor, as is normally the case, the handle N is moved let us say to theright, thereby shifting the shaft V in a rearward direction. During thefirst part of this movement the Wheel L remains stationary since thepower required to move the shaft V is slight in comparison with thepower required to move the rudder. As soon as the handle N has beenshifted far enough to bring one set of brushes of the controller intoengagement with the contacts,

the circuit through the magnetic clutch and I In so doing the shaft Vwould be retracted to its neutral position and the motor would stop.When it is desired to move the rud der in the opposite direction thehandle is turned backwardly toward its neutral position and in so doingthe inclined slots in the hub force the pins in the opposite direction,thereby moving the shaft V rearwardly, and thus disengaging the brushesa a and engaging the brushes 6 b with the stationary contact 0 d, etc.The motor will now reverse in direction and will continue to run as longas the handle is moved backwardly. \Vhen a point is reached where it isdesired to stop the rudder, the handle is stopped, and the partsautomatically disengage themselves, as before. During the movements ofthe handle the wheel L of course moves coincidently with it due to itsfixed connection to the shaft G.

Let us assume that there is now-a failure of the electric circuit. Thefirst effect of this is the release of the magnetic clutch,

, and a failure of the shaft G to turn. \Vhen the operator sees that theshaft and hand wheel are not turning and, therefore, that the motor isnot working, he merely cont'inues the'movement of the handle in theintended direction. This will be without efiect until the handlecontacts with a stop K or K on the wheel L.. The handle then becomes inetfect'a part of the steering wheel and by a further movement intherequired direction the steering wheel is moved through the medium ofthe handle. It will thus be seen that the operator has to perform butonemovement in any direction, since the parts automatically change from amotor-control system to a manually-controlled system. This requires nothought or effort on the part of the operator and the system isimmediate .in its action. Of course, as soon as the operator realizesthat the motor control has failed, he will if required use two hands tooperate the steering wheel. If this is done, the handle N may beentirely neglected, since the steering wheel L is fixed to the shaft G.It will be noted that while there is a slight lost motion in the initialoperation of the steering wheel by the handle N, this lost motion can bereduced so that it is negligible, by giving the handle only range enoughbetween the stops K and K to bring the contacts of the brushes of'thecontroller properly into and out of engagement with the fixed contactsof the controller. If it is desired to do so, the handle 1 may be fixedin its neutral position by a spring clutch or the like L mounted uponthe wheel L. The stops K K may also serve the purpose of limiting therelative movement of the handle Nland wheel L in order to limit theforward and rearward movements of the shaft V to the amount necessaryfor operating the controller.

In Figs. 6 and 7 I have shown my invention as applied to a constructionin which the motor handle is as a'separate element omitted. In this casethe hand wheel N is mounted loosely upon the shaft between two collars NO which prevent the longitudinal movement of the wheel upon the shaft. Astop P is provided which is shown as extending between two of the spokesof the wheel M. This stop is fixed to the shaft G and permits a limitedmovement of the wheel in either direction without moving the shaft. Assoon as one of the spokes of the wheel contacts with the stop, the shaftand wheel are connected and the movement of the wheel thence moves theshaft. The slight relative movement of the wheel and shaft which ispermitted by this construction is utilized to move the motor controllingshaft V in the same manner as in Figs.

1 to 5, that is to say, the interior of the hub of the wheel is providedwith inclined slots U which are adapted to exert a cam action upon thepin S to move the same either forward or backward. In this construct-ionthe wheel itself constitutes the motor controlling member and also thehand controlling member. So long as the motor is working the wheel moveswith little effort on the part of the operator. If the motor fails amovement of the wheel continued in the required direction will rotatethe shaft by hand. To facilitate the movement under motor control, asupplemental handle Q may be fixed to one of the spokes of the wheelM.'.

It is obvious that in the construction shown in Figs. 1 to 5 the handwheel may be omitted and stops provided such as the stops K K by whichthe motor controlling handle N may become the sole means for manuallyoperating the shaft.

If it is desired to do so the electrical circuit for operating themagnetic clutch may be controlled by a switch which is in turncontrolled by an electro-magnet in series with the motor field or motorarmature. or

boats, however,- the elementof danger in- 15 troduced by the necessityof a separate manual act on the part ofthe operator in changing from onesystem to the other makes the present system of peculiar value andimportance.

that I do not wish to be limited thereto as a wide range ofmodifications may be employed without departing from the spirit of theinvent-ion. 1 I

By way of example, without intending to limit'my invention, Iwould'point out that it is not necessary to utilize an electric motorsince a motor driven by steam or other power may be used. Nor is itessential to utilize the same mechanism herein set forth or mechanismsimilar thereto. Any other suitable mechanism may be employedv by whichthe hand control may be taken up by a practically continuous movement.It is preferable that the movement 'be in the same directio as that ofthe motor controlling part, bu the principal object to be gained by thepresent invention is the avoidance of the necessity of a distinct act onthe part of the operator whenIthe motor control fails. I

What I claim is p 1. ha follow-up control mechanism, the combination ofa motor controlling mechanism, and a manually operable means, and meansfor automatically throwing said manual means into operation when themotor controlling mechanism fails.

combination of a motor controlling mechanism, nd a manually. operablemeans, said motor controlling means "acting automatically to opeartesaid manual means" when said motor fails. v 3. In a follow-upcontrol'mechanism, the combination of a motor controllingrn'echanism,and a manually operablemeans', said mechanism and means beingl'litovablein the same direction, and means' yffor' :operatively connecting the twoautomatically when the motor fails.

" 4. The combination of a part While I have shown in detail several "embodiments of the invention, it is to be noted" 2. In a follow-upcontrol-mechanism, the

.a motor for moving it, nieansfor control- 5 ling said motor,'means formoving said part throwing said hand operable moved, of a manuallyoperable device for by hand, and means for automatically part intooperation when said motor fails. V 5. The combination with a part to bemoved, of a manually operable device for "m moving it, a motor alsoadapted to move said part, and means for controlling said motor, saidmanually operable device and said motor controlling means being adaptedto move in the same general direction and said motor cont-rolling meansbeing adapted to mechanically engage and move said manually operabledevice.

6. The combination with apart to be moving it, a motor also adapted tomove' said part, andmeans for cont-rolling said motor, said manuallyoperable device and said motor controlling means being adapted to movearound the same axis and said moto'r controlling means being adapted tomechanically engage and move said manually operable device.

I 7. The combination with a part to be moved, of a manually operabledevice for moving it, a motor also adapted to move said part, and meansfor controlling said motor, said manually operable device and said motorcontrolling means being adapted to be moved around the same axis andbeing mounted adjacent to each other, said motor controlling. meansbeing adapted to mechanically engage and move said manually operabledevice.

8. Th combinationof a partto be moved, a manually operable wheel formoving it, a motor also adapted to move said part, and a handle forcontrolling said motor, said handle and wheel bein mounted to turn aboutthe same axis, an one being adapted to mechanically engage'. and turnthe other.

9. The combination. of a part to be moved, a manually operable wheel formoving it, a motor also adapted to move said part, and a handle forcontrolling said motor, said han dle and wheel being mounted'to turnabout the same axis, and said handle being adap'ted by a movement of thehandle alone to be brought into engagement with said wheel, and' to movethe same.

10. The combination of a part to be moved, a manually operable memberfor moving it, a -motor also adapted to move said part, means wherebysaid manually operable member is also moved. by said motor,

a handle for controlling said motor, said 'motor beingadapted to runwhile said hanfdle is moved, and said handle and manually foperablemember being adapted to move at- ?Zsubstantially the same speed and .one0 said parts (handle and manually operable. member) being adapted tomechanically to be moved,j

engage and move the other. 11. The combination of 'a part to be moved,-a manually operablemember for moving it, .1

a motor also adapted to move said part, and a handle for controllingsaid motor, said handle being adapted to operate said motor by aninitial movement relative to said manually operable member, and to movesaid manually operable member by a further movement of the handle.

12. The combination with a part to be moved of a manually operablemember for moving it, a motor also adapted to move said part, and ahandle for controlling said motor, said handle being adapted toautomatically engage said manually operable member and move the samewhen the motor fails.

13. The combination of a shaft, a motor for moving it, a handle forcontrolling saidmotor, and means for automatically connecting saidhandle with said shaft to turn the shaft when'said motor fails.

14. The combination of a shaft, a hand wheel fixed to said shaft,a'handle adapted to rotate relatively to said hand wheel, a motoradapted to move said shaft, and a mechanical device for causing s'aidmotor to move in reverse directions, said device being actuated in onedirection by a movement of said handle and in the opposite, direction bya similar movement of said hand wheel.

15. The combination of a shaft, a hand wheel fixed to said shaft, ahandle adapted to rotate relatively to said hand wheel, a motor adaptedto move said shaft, means for moving said motor in reverse directionsrespectively by movements of said handle and hand wheel in the samedirection, and means for automatically connecting said handle and handwheel when said motor fails.

16. The combination of a shaft, a motor for driving said shaft, a handwheel fixed to said shaft, a handle mounted to turn relatively to saidhand wheel and arranged concentrically therewith, a part in mechanicalenga ement with said hand wheel and said hand e and moved in oppositedirections respectively by relative movements of said hand wheel andhandle in one direction, and a controller actuated by said part to causethe motor to move imreverse directions.

17. In a submarine or submersible boat, the combination of a rudder, amotor for moving said rudder, a handle for. controlling said motor, amanually operable part also adapted to move said rudder, and means forautomatically connectin said motor controllin handle with sai manuallyoperable part w en the motor fails.

18. In a submarine or submersible boat, the--combination of a-rudder' amotor for moving said rudder, a shaft driven by said motor, a handwheel'fixed to said shaft, a handle mounted concentrically with saidhand wheel, and a mechanical device in engagement with said hand wheeland handle and operated by relative movement between said hand wheel andhandle to control said motor.

19. In a submarine or submersible boat, the combination of a rudder, a.motor for moving said rudder, a shaft driven by said motor, a hand wheelfixed to said shaft, a handle mounted concentrically with said handwheel, means operated by relative movement between sald hand wheel andhandle to control said motor, and means for automatically connectingsaid handle and 'hand wheelwhen said motor fails.

20. In a submarine or-submersible boat, the combination of a rudder, amotor for moving said rudder, a hollow shaft adapted to be moved by saidmotor, a hand wheel fixed to said'shaft, a handle adapted to-turn aboutthe same. axis as said hand wheel, a part havin a cam actuated by saidhandle, a shaft wit in said hollow shaft moved by said cam, a controlleroperated by said second shaft, and means operated by said controller fordriving said motor in reverse directions.

21. In.a follow-up control mechanism, the combination of a part to bemoved, a motor for moving said part, a motor-controlling mechanism, amanually operable means, and means for throwing said manual means intooperation when the motor-controlling mechanism fails, said motor beingconnected to said part to be moved through a magnetic clutch which isoperative only when the circuit of the motor is closed.

22. The combination of a shaft, a motor, a gear connection between saidshaft and motor adapted to permit the motor to drive the shaft and toprevent the shaft from driving the motor, a magnetic clutch adapted tocouple said connection to the shaft only when the motor is in operation,a manually operable member for moving said shaft, a member forcontrolling said motor to operate said shaft, and means for automaticallconnecting said controlling member wit said manually operable memberwhen the motor fails.

23. In a follow-up control mechanism, the combination of apart to bemoved, a motor for moving it, and a hand-controlling means actingautomatically to operate said part by hand when the motor control fails.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto signed my name in the presence oftwo subscribing witnesses.

' CESARE SACERDOTI.

Witnesses:

Euonnn V. Mamas, THOMAS F, -WALLAGE.

